Where the Light Settles

Set against the backdrop of World War II and its aftermath, Where the Light Settles follows the sweeping journey of Christina von Dürnstein—a young Prussian noblewoman who defies expectation, abandons her aristocratic life, and forges a new future across continents.
In war-torn East Prussia, Christina falls in love with Lukas, a working-class driver. Their forbidden relationship leads to an unplanned pregnancy, betrayal by her family, and Lukas's sudden disappearance. Disowned and exiled, Christina flees to Ireland under a new name, where she gives birth to her daughter Lena and begins to rebuild her life with the help of her sharp-tongued but steadfast cousin, Catriona.
Through hardship and resilience, Christina finds work as a translator in Dublin and begins to dream again. Inspired by a friend's tales of Canada and faced with threats from her past, she immigrates with her daughter to rural Ontario. There, she builds a life from the ground up, enduring poverty, harsh winters, and uncertainty, but also finding community, purpose, and love again in Seamus, an Irish immigrant farmer.
The novel spans over a decade, chronicling Christina's transformation from noble exile to strong matriarch. Through shifting landscapes—Prussia, Ireland, and Canada—Where the Light Settles explores themes of displacement, survival, motherhood, and the quiet power of starting over. In the end, it's not a story of loss, but one of endurance, legacy, and the light that carries through generations.

Amelia Ross is a writer of literary and historical fiction whose work explores the quiet resilience of women, the complexity of relationships, and the powerful pull of home. With a deep appreciation for the rhythms of coastal life and the emotional weight of memory, her stories are often set against the backdrop of Newfoundland, where she spent time listening to the tides, the silences, and the stories passed down through generations.
Her debut novel, The Ways We Stayed, traces the lives of three sisters shaped by love, loss, and the choices that define us. Part family saga, part personal reckoning, the novel is a tribute to the emotional landscapes women navigate — and the bonds that carry us through.
When she's not writing, Amelia can be found exploring shorelines, sipping strong tea, and finding beauty in the everyday. She is passionate about storytelling as a form of connection and healing.